Former San Jose assistant principal sentenced for molesting student

SAN JOSE -- A former administrator at Leland High School was sentenced Friday to 16 months in state prison for unlawful sexual contact with a student at the school.

Joseph Reghitto, a former assistant principal at Leland, pleaded guilty last fall to one felony charge and one misdemeanor involving a sexual act with a minor in 2011. His plea came after a second former student testified that Reghitto had sent her inappropriate text messages, according to Carolyn Powell, a deputy district attorney for Santa Clara County.

Reghitto had also sent numerous text messages to the 16-year-old victim in the days leading up to the molestation, Powell said last fall.

The episode and its aftermath had been difficult for the victim and her family, along with others at the school, according to the girl's father, who asked not to be identified to protect his daughter's privacy. But he said he was satisfied with the outcome and praised both Powell and Superior Court Judge Linda Clark for their handling of the case.